Avion Aircraft Trading commits to six Airbus A330-200F

Avion Aircraft Trading has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus for six A330-200 Freighters. With this commitment Avion, based in Reykjavik, joins the launch customer base for the new Airbus freighter and becomes the first customer in Iceland for this aircraft type. Deliveries for these aircraft are scheduled in 2010 and 2011.

Avion Aircraft Trading is partly owned by HF Eimskip, the parent company of Air Atlanta Icelandic, known for its services including Aircraft Crew Maintenance and Insurance (ACMI operations) to airlines worldwide such as Air France Cargo, Cargolux, Cathay Pacific, Etihad, Lufthansa Cargo, MASKargo and Saudi Arabian Airlines.

David Masson, CEO of Avion Aircraft Trading said: "The A330-200F is the ideal complement to our portfolio of bigger cargo airplanes and builds on the successful experience we had in Iceland with the A310 and A300-600 Freighters. Its payload range characteristics will open up new possibilities for our airline customers paired with very attractive operating costs."

John Leahy, COO Customers of Airbus said: "Avion&apos;s decision to select the A330-200F adds to the very robust launch of this latest member of our freighter family. We are particularly delighted and honoured to see the strong endorsement of Avion Aircraft Trading. With Avion&apos;s global expertise in placing wide body cargo aircraft, we are confident these aircraft will be successfully operated by cargo airlines worldwide."

The A330-200F is a derivative of the very popular A330 Family operated by more than 60 operators worldwide. This will greatly facilitate the entry into service of the new all-cargo variant into existing A330 fleets. As for all Airbus aircraft currently in production, the A330-200F will also benefit from full operational commonality unique to Airbus thanks to the now well recognised Airbus Fly-By-Wire technology which also enables faster pilot transitioning to and from other Airbus aircraft, both passenger and freighter.

The A330-200F can carry up to 64 metric tonnes over 4,000 nautical miles/7400 km in its standard version. When selecting the optional payload mode the aircraft can carry 69 metric tonnes up to 3,200 nautical miles/5930 km. These range and payload capabilities will enable operators to grow their business by opening up or extending cargo routes currently operated. Thanks to an optimized fuselage cross-section, it has the interior flexibility to carry a wide variety of pallet and container sizes for maximum interlining capability, offering 30 percent more volume than any freighter in its class.